Chapter 9 Rumors. This princess will absolutely not allow you to take a concubine. ...

Lu Songyuan looked down, then grabbed Jing Hui's wrist and pushed her away a little.

"Your Highness, do you not remember what you did in bed last night?"

Everyone fell silent, and Jing Hui blurted out, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

“If Your Highness doesn’t remember, I wouldn’t mind saying it again in public, you are riding on…”

Jing Hui's face immediately turned red. She rushed forward and covered Lu Songyuan's mouth with her hands folded together, covering it tightly.

"Shut up, don't say anything!"

A smug, mischievous smile crept across Lu Songyuan's face, infuriating Jing Hui, who slapped him on the chest.

Looking at the wound again, Jing Hui thought carefully. Although she had been riding on top of Lu Songyuan and making a ruckus last night, she definitely hadn't touched his neck.

Seeing Lu Songyuan's nonchalant expression, Jing Hui immediately became angry.

Suddenly, I remembered the rumors circulating in the capital a while ago, saying that Lu Songyuan was a reincarnation of a lecherous demon who, after massacring a city, abducted beautiful women to his tent and indulged in nightly revelry.

Jing Hui's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. She would never allow Lu Songyuan to have multiple wives and concubines.

She shook off Lu Songyuan's hand and asked, "Who were you with in the study this morning?"

A strange look crept across Lu Songyuan's face as he said calmly, "An old friend."

When he first arrived in the capital, he had a ghostly old friend!

Jing Hui leaned down and got closer to Lu Songyuan's neck.

She pressed one hand on Lu Songyuan's shoulder and pulled open his collar with the other, examining the wound closely. The more she looked at it, the more it resembled a scratch from a fingernail.

Lu Qingyue's gaze followed Jing Hui and fell on Lu Songyuan's wound. How come he hadn't noticed when Lu Songyuan had cut himself like that?

Seeing the two frozen in place, he looked back and forth between them before stepping forward and saying, "Princess, this morning when I was dressing the general, I accidentally scratched him. Please punish me, Your Highness."

A medicinal fragrance wafted past her nose, and Jing Hui raised her watery eyes to look at Lu Qingyue.

Lu Qingyue was looking at her, but then blinked and lowered his head.

"It wasn't clear before the marriage, but it's not too late to talk about it now."

Jing Hui ignored Lu Qingyue and said directly to Lu Songyuan, "This princess will never allow you to take a concubine, and I also cannot stand the practice of men having multiple wives and concubines and being promiscuous."

Lu Songyuan scoffed and said in a tone that was sure to infuriate people, "The princess's marriage is a blessing from the imperial family, but a married woman must obey her husband. If Your Highness does not have any children in a year, I will naturally take two concubines to have children."

"You dare!"

Jing Hui immediately bristled. She hadn't even complained about his disability preventing them from consummating their marriage, and he dared to urge her!

"If you dare to take a concubine, I won't let you off! I'll drive you all out of the capital, make you live on the streets, in the wilderness, where wild animals will eat you! Anyway, you won't be able to run away..."

The little princess had never seen anyone offend her like this before, Jing Hui said, her eyes reddening.

You bastard!

Lu Songyuan paused for a moment, then looked at Jing Hui's red eyes. He looked away irritably and said, "Then let's give it a try."

Jing Hui was quite angry with him. Seeing his serious expression, Jing Hui said loudly, "Fine, then let's try it! This princess can also keep male concubines, and even more than you!"

After yelling, she stomped hard on Lu Songyuan's foot, sniffed, looked at the two people behind Lu Songyuan, and said, "Give me the person, I want to take her away."

Lu Songyuan looked at Jing Hui for a moment, then raised his hand and hooked his finger, releasing the maid behind him.

He said, "I originally thought that Your Highness's people were the most disciplined, but seeing this today, I realize that's not the case."

"My people never break the rules when dealing with polite people, so why should they follow the rules when dealing with unreasonable people?"

She gave Lu Songyuan a heavy snort, then turned and left.

Lu Songyuan watched Jing Hui's retreating figure, then straightened his collar to cover the wound.

Once Jing Hui had walked a little further away, Lu Qingyue tossed the leaf in his hand aside, crossed his arms, looked ahead, and said, "The princess is of noble birth and has a delicate nature. General, you will be very fortunate in the future."

Lu Songyuan gave him a cold glance.

Lu Qingyue, always eager for a good show, laughed and asked, "Why didn't we know the general wanted children before? Now that's great! You're going to the capital to have children, you might as well have an army! Then we won't have to worry about not having enough generals in the northern border, hahaha..."

Do you want to die?

Lu Songyuan adjusted the wheelchair, "Don't cut off its mouth to feed the pigs."

Lu Qingyue's smile froze on her face.

"I have been by your side since I was a child, and I have never seen you bully a woman like this."

Lu Qingyue stepped forward, grasped the armrest, and pushed him to follow behind Jing Hui, asking with a smile, "General, what do you think of the princess...?"

Didn't you hear what Yuan Wei said just now?

Lu Songyuan said coldly, "I haven't achieved my goal, yet you still have the mind to joke around."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyue immediately became serious and said, "I wouldn't dare. What are your plans, General?"

Lu Songyuan pointed to the southwest, looking at the swaying bamboo forest there, and suddenly said, "Go explore that place."

Lu Qingyue also looked up and suddenly understood.

He knelt beside Lu Songyuan's wheelchair and asked, "What is your plan, General?"

Lu Songyuan glanced at Lu Qingyue and said, "You can just take your men and do it directly. No need for any schemes."

Lu Qingyue, used to doing bad things, raised his chin and smiled, "Your subordinate understands, and will certainly grant the general's wish."

"Go."

-

At noon, Jing Hui and Lu Songyuan had lunch together.

Having accomplished her goal in the morning, Jing Hui was so angered by Lu Songyuan's words that she ate two extra bowls of rice in a fit of rage.

After lunch, Jing Hui led his men to the backyard of the mansion.

When Jing Ao led the renovation, the General's Mansion was built to the standards of the palace. Therefore, the flowers and plants in the backyard were all cultivated in the palace's flower room. They had a wide variety of colors but did not look vulgar, and the fragrance of the flowers was not overpowering.

Most importantly, in the backyard there are several grapevines as lush as those in the Jinxiu Palace. The branches form a semi-shaded grape trellis, under which are placed couches and tables, making it very comfortable to lie on and enjoy the scenery.

"Princess, the cellar is this way."

The servants of the general's mansion led Jing Hui forward. Her most important task upon arriving in the backyard was to find a cellar where she could store the wine.

Without the wines from the Brocade Palace by her side, Jing Hui felt uneasy.

The huge backyard had a cellar that took up half of it, and it was about the same size as the Jinxiu Palace.

Jing Hui was increasingly satisfied with the wine. Thinking about returning to the palace in three days, he brought some of the wine over and left it there.

The backyard was like a paradise. Now that they had left the palace and were still on their honeymoon, Emperor Jingwen had not yet woken up, so there was no need to worry about palace affairs for the time being. Therefore, Jing Hui sat under the grape trellis and slept for a while.

It gets dark early in autumn, and there's a cool breeze at night. Jing Hui told her not to disturb her before she went to sleep, and when she woke up, it was already dark.

Ah Yu, who was brewing tea nearby, exclaimed with delight, "Princess, you're finally awake!"

Jing Hui blinked, looking at the stars twinkling through the gaps in the grape leaves above her head, and mumbled, "Hmm, I'm hungry."

Ayu said, "Dinner is ready. Shall we invite General Lu to dine with us?"

Mentioning Lu Songyuan reminded Jing Hui of what seemed like a dream he had just had.

I can't remember the details of the dream very clearly, but it wasn't a good dream. It seems that I had another argument with Lu Songyuan.

"Never mind him."

Jing Hui hummed softly, letting A Yu put the cloak on her. A gust of wind blew by, and Jing Hui looked up at the evening stars in the sky, murmuring, "Winter seems to have come a little early this year."

Yes, that's right.

As Ah Yu tied her ribbon, she said, "It's only autumn, and already..."

Boom—Bang—

Before the two had finished speaking, a loud noise suddenly came from the southwest corner of the capital, and Jing Hui felt as if the ground beneath his feet shook.

Ayu quickly escorted Jinghui to an open space and shouted, "Help! What happened?"

Unbeknownst to those in the backyard, there was a moment of silence after the loud noise, followed by the commotion of servants from the mansion.

Looking at the unusually dark sky in the southwest corner, Jing Hui calmly ordered, "Someone, go and take a look!"

At the corner, the usually composed Ayan nearly bumped into the people Jing Hui had sent out to investigate. She quickly ran towards Jing Hui, shouting, "Princess, the gunpowder depot in the southern suburbs has exploded!"

"What!"

Jing Hui was startled and quickly released A Yu, taking a step outside while asking, "How was it bombed? Were there any civilian casualties? Prepare a horse for this princess!"

Jing Hui always took matters concerning the common people very seriously. Her face was solemn and her eyes were frightening.

"The horse is at the gate of the mansion, but the specific situation is still unknown."

Following behind Jing Hui, Ayan said anxiously, "It's getting dark, Princess, you shouldn't go."

"It's nothing, let's go."

After Jing Hui finished speaking, he hurriedly walked out of the mansion.

“Ayu will stay at home.”

Ah Yu replied, "Yes."

The Great Liang was the first country in the world to discover gunpowder and use it in warfare.

With these gunpowders, the Great Liang developed many advanced weapons, such as rockets, bomb-throwing grenades, and iron muskets, all of which were used on the southeastern battlefield, helping the Great Liang expand its territory along the coast.

It can be said that gunpowder is now the lifeblood of the Great Liang Dynasty. Emperor Jingwen attaches great importance to gunpowder and invited the imperial advisor to divine sixteen locations where the national energy is abundant to establish gunpowder depots.

The largest gunpowder depot in Daliang was located halfway up a mountain called Shenshan in the southern suburbs of Shangjing.

The area is heavily guarded, and the path up the mountain is riddled with traps, but there have been no problems in recent years.

How could it suddenly explode?

As she walked along the corridor, Jing Hui's pink and white cloak brushed against the withering flowers. As she descended the steps, someone blocked her way.

"Your Highness, why are you in such a hurry? Has something happened?"

Lu Songyuan asked Jing Hui.

Jing Hui was anxious and had no intention of paying attention to him. He strode past him, saying, "No need for your trouble."

Seeing that there was no one behind him, he said, "If you have bad legs, don't go out wandering around at night."

Then he left the mansion.

Jing Hui's horse was parked at the entrance. She took three steps at a time, went down the steps, stepped onto the stirrup, and rode off into the deep mountains.

The people of the capital all heard the strange noise, and Taiping Street was crowded with people discussing something.

Jing Hui rode her horse through the crowd, with A Yan following behind her, raising her voice to reassure the people.

"Don't panic, the princess is here!"

The horse's hooves never stopped until it reached the foot of the deep mountain, and it was already late at night.

The black ash from the gunpowder explosion drifted like raindrops in front of us, trying to get into our eyes. The pungent smell of gunpowder could be detected from miles away. The torches on the mountain illuminated the area as if it were daytime.

"Princess!"

Many important officials from the Six Ministries were present. When Minister of War Shen Qun saw Jing Hui, he quickly led the other officials forward to pay their respects: "This old minister greets the princess!"

The other officials also bowed to him.

"No need for such formalities, everyone."

Jing Hui tossed the horse to Ayan, blinked his dry eyes, took a silk handkerchief from someone nearby to cover his mouth and nose, and walked towards the crowd at the foot of the mountain.

As she walked, she asked Shen Qun, "How's it on the mountain? Has anyone gone to check on it?"

“Just now, General Lu’s deputy was out on business and happened to encounter the explosion while passing through the deep mountains,” Shen Qun said. “General Lu is currently leading his men and the Ministry of War in the deep mountains, and there has been no news from them yet. The area around the deep mountains has been sealed off and is being patrolled.”

Is Lu Qingyue here?

Jing Hui frowned.

After taking a few steps, Shen Qun raised his hand and said to the front, "Princess, the Prime Minister is also here."

As they got closer, Jing Hui finally saw the man at the head of the crowd, a figure of aloofness, like a mountain-suppressing stone amidst the clamor. His face was completely unhidden, his hands were behind his back, and he stood straight with sharp eyes like a hawk, staring intently at the entrance to the mountain.

It was none other than the current Prime Minister, Lian Zhong.

He was a student of Jing Hui's maternal grandfather. Whenever Jing Hui saw Lian Zhong, she would always think of her maternal grandfather.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister."

Jing Hui stepped forward and bowed.

Upon hearing Jing Hui's voice, Lian Zhong turned around.

He was tall, with a square face and large ears, and his beard was meticulously combed, giving him a stern and serious appearance.

His voice was rough when he spoke, and he deliberately lowered his tone, as if afraid of startling Jing Hui, "The princess has arrived."

"Yes, I heard an explosion in the manor."

Jing Hui nodded, glanced at the soot around Lian Zhong's nostrils, and asked, "How is the gunpowder depot?"

"We don't know for now."

Lian Zhong looked towards the site of the explosion deep in the mountains and said, "The Ministry of War and General Lu's men are currently on the mountain. We should have news soon."

As soon as Lian Zhong finished speaking, two groups of people appeared at the mountain pass.

Lu Qingyue was in one group, and the people from the Ministry of War were in another.

The Ministry of War personnel wore veils to cover their mouths and noses. Although they were covered in black ash, it was far less than that on Lu Qingyue and his group. They had no protective measures whatsoever, and their faces and nostrils were completely black, making it almost impossible to tell their features apart. The smell of gunpowder on them was pungent.

Upon seeing Jing Hui, Lu Qingyue strode forward, bowed, and black ash fell from his face. "Your subordinate greets the princess, and pays respects to the prime minister and all officials."

The people behind him bowed, and Jing Hui glanced at him and asked, "How is the gunpowder depot?"

"I did not enter the gunpowder depot; I only helped a few gentlemen at the entrance. There was nothing serious happening outside the gunpowder depot."

As Lu Qingyue spoke, he turned to look at the people from the Ministry of War.

A representative from the Ministry of War stepped forward and said, "The explosion occurred in a small gunpowder depot, the furthest from the main gunpowder depot. The lock on the small warehouse door showed obvious signs of being pried open, and a fire was also found inside. It is clear that someone deliberately ignited the gunpowder."

Anger crept into Jing Hui's brows as he asked, "Were there any casualties?"

"No! The powder magazine that was set on fire was on the outermost side. The person guarding the magazine was not patrolling there at the time, and no other damage was caused."

Upon hearing this, Jing Hui breathed a slight sigh of relief. She knew where the gunpowder depot this person was talking about was located, and that it had enough reserves to supply five hundred soldiers.

The losses are not small.

Jing Hui sternly ordered, "Seal off the mountain and search for people!"

"yes!"

The Ministry of War personnel immediately went on alert and ran in an orderly fashion to various locations.

Jing Hui looked up at the silent, deep mountains, then stepped upwards, intending to go up the mountain himself.

Lian Zhong quickly stopped her, saying, "Princess, it's late. We don't know where the villain is. Even if you go up, you'll only be checking the situation. Why don't you go back to your residence and rest? If there's any news tomorrow, I'll immediately send someone to report to you."

Jing Hui glanced at the mountain path. When she was young, she was harmed and left alone in an unnamed mountain for a night. It was Lian Zhong who rescued her.

From then on, she began to fear the mountains in the dark.

Normally, if there is nothing to do, Jing Hui would never go near any mountain.

"Since the General's Mansion is behind the Imperial Palace, you could hear the explosion, so naturally the princes in the palace could also hear it."

Lian Zhong stroked his beard. "The princess has come here alone, which is already a great act of righteousness. Sometimes you don't need to push yourself so hard."

Jing Hui understood his meaning and nodded.

"Thank you for your guidance, Prime Minister."

Lian Zhong raised the corner of his lips slightly, "Respectfully seeing off the princess."

After a moment's hesitation, Jing Hui nodded. "Then I'll head back now. Thank you for your trouble, Prime Minister."

"It's all something a veteran minister should do."

After Jing Hui finished speaking, he glanced at Lu Qingyue and the others. Lu Qingyue understood and followed behind Jing Hui.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Jing Hui sighed and led a few "black men" toward A Yan, intending to ride back to the mansion.

Ayan pulled the reins forward and said to Jinghui with a complicated expression, "Princess, General Lu has arrived."

A note from the author:

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